Supporting women working in schools, or in fact any education setting, who at the same time are experiencing the symptoms of menopause or perimenopause, should be a priority on any school’s agenda.
Unfortunately, this is not always the case, despite all women experiencing menopause at some stage of their life. It is important for schools to recognise that menopause, not forgetting perimenopause, is an occupational health issue for female educators.
While menopause usually occurs between the ages of 45-55, it doesn’t just affect those going through menopausal symptoms but also those around them such as colleagues, family members and of course pupils in the classroom.
“Teaching in a classroom adds an extra layer of complexity and stress to managing menopause symptoms.”
Managing menopause symptoms in any workplace can be challenging but teaching in a classroom adds an extra layer of complexity and stress. Of the numerous symptoms women can be faced with (34 at the last count), experiencing hot flushes, brain fog or heart palpitations whilst teaching a classroom of pupils, is not something where you can easily take a ten-minute break to recover.
I have supported several colleagues who have experienced this over the years and have happily stepped in to support them. But what happens when a female does not have this support network around her?
Many female members of staff may feel that they are the only person affected by or concerned about this issue, when in reality this is not the case. For those experiencing symptoms, the physical can often be accompanied by anxiety and a loss of self-belief. Managing the classroom requires confidence, and over time the loss of it can lead to staff taking a step away from their roles, at a time when their years of experience and knowledge should be most widely appreciated. This is why supporting menopause in the workplace is so relevant and why I have taken it upon myself to set up a “Menopause Matters Group” initiative at Royal Hospital School (RHS).
“A loss of confidence when managing the classroom can lead to staff taking a step away from their roles”
In addition to supporting my colleagues, my aim is to help develop a menopause policy with our HR Department to ensure everyone feels informed and supported during this time. Whilst not all women are symptomatic, many are, and it can interfere with their ability to remain in the classroom. A significant number of women will be experiencing menopause during their teaching life, and having measures in place to facilitate a supportive and aware environment is important for the wellbeing of those individuals, as well as the wider school community.
This comes at a time when menopause really is at the forefront of the political agenda. An independent government report was published on 25 November 2021 that contains 10 recommendations aimed at bringing about comprehensive change and support for those experiencing the menopause.
A House of Commons Committee report on Menopause and the Workplace, published on 28 July 2022, states that with 4.5 million women aged 50-64 in the workplace, 43 per cent are more likely to have left their jobs by the age of 55 when experiencing at least one problematic menopausal symptom, compared with those with no severe symptoms.
Thirty-one per cent took time off work as a result of symptoms. With three quarters of schoolteachers being women (gov.uk Jan 20), this potentially represents a very large workforce loss, particularly as it is these teachers who are likely to have the most experience.
At RHS, we currently have 35 members of our teaching staff who could be suffering from perimenopausal or menopausal symptoms; this equates to approximately 33 per cent of our teaching staff, so making sure they are provided with a supportive policy could prove really beneficial both to them and the school.
“Seventy per cent of our support staff are likely to be affected by menopausal symptoms.”
The statistics are even more significant if we look at our support staff, where approximately 70 per cent are likely to be affected by menopausal symptoms, and whilst they may not be teaching in a classroom, they can have equally challenging environments to navigate.
Policies are important, but you don’t need to have a menopause policy in place to make an initial change. The most important step is to get a conversation started; find out what your female staff need and what will be valuable to them. This will enable you to help create a useful policy.
At RHS we started with a drop-in session, at which we handed out literature and also provided two anonymous comment boxes – one for “top tips” from colleagues who already have menopausal experience, and secondly a “questions and requests” box to help us guide our thinking.
We now run the support group in person half-termly across both our teaching and support staff, having a different focus each time. We started with top tips for menopause, which was popular and got the ball rolling. For our most recent talk, we invited one of our health centre nurses, who is a menopause nurse practitioner specialist, to speak to the group about HRT and the medical options for assistance with the menopause.
“We now run the support group in person half-termly across both our teaching and support staff.”
This half term, we’re going to have a Christmas get-together to have a bit of fun and a forum for conversation. We hold our meetings in the middle of the school’s common room at break time so all staff are around and can join in the conversation. This was a conscious step as we are keen to normalise the topic and for it to become part of everyday conversation.
We also need to be open about the topic in the classroom, as pupils are also likely be impacted at some point in their lives, not just by their teachers being affected, but also at home with their mothers; we currently have a pupil who is covering the topic for her EPQ essay, as a result of her mother going through the menopause and the impact it has had on her family.
Another early-stage change that can be easily implemented, and something that has been done successfully at RHS, is making sure women’s toilets around your school have sanitary products available in them. While this may seem strange for those suffering from menopausal symptoms it’s incredibly useful, as symptoms can include erratic periods, so having products available in every toilet takes away the worry away from female staff having to discreetly take products out their bags whilst in the classroom. This is an easy fix for many schools and one that is so simple to implement.
“We are keen to normalise the topic and for it to become part of everyday conversation.”
One of our key next steps is to offer all our staff, both male and female, INSET training with a menopause specialist, as it is our belief that menopause affects everyone in the workplace, be it the menopausal staff themselves, their line managers, and colleagues in their support roles. Many of our male teaching staff have wives going through this phase of life, so educating all staff about the symptoms and difficulties that can arise can only help to mitigate the issue and make staff feel valued and understood.
Ultimately, engaging staff and letting them know that the support is there, and by applying some easy practical changes, should be the first steps any school makes when looking to implement a menopause policy. Women need to feel supported during menopause, and formalising and acknowledging this is a step forward in staff retention. I don’t want to lose any more of my female colleagues from the classroom because they don’t feel supported.
